


The Couple That Changes Together

by blueboxesandtrafficcones



Series: 31 Days of Ficmas 2018 [12]
Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Birthday, F/M, Hair Dyeing, Haircuts, Quickies, Returning Home, Sex, Smut, non-explicit blow jobs
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-06
Updated: 2019-12-06
Packaged: 2021-02-26 06:08:13
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,009
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21688876
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blueboxesandtrafficcones/pseuds/blueboxesandtrafficcones
Summary: After the Doctor’s latest regeneration, Rose decides it’s time for her to make some changes to her appearance as well, enlisting her mother's help.
Relationships: Twelfth Doctor/Rose Tyler
Series: 31 Days of Ficmas 2018 [12]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1200850
Comments: 6
Kudos: 105
Collections: 31 Days of Ficmas 2018





	The Couple That Changes Together

“So… I’ve been thinking.”

Lying under the console working on repairs, the Doctor paused as his wife’s voice filtered down to him. “Aye?” The Scottish burr made him wince, the new accent still foreign to his ears. After a thousand years sounding like Rose, the change was still jarring a week after regeneration.

“Off topic, but can I say I am _loving_ this new accent?” Bending down, Rose peeked through the cabling to meet his eye, throwing him a saucy smile. “It works for you. By which I mean it’s working for me.”

Thoughts of TARDIS repairs fled from his mind as her tongue peeked between her teeth, and he scrambled out from beneath the console. “Is it now?” Settling his hands on her hips he pulled her close, pressing them together. “Well, I’ll tell you this – that’s not my sonic, darling.”

Rose threw her head back in laughter, and it amazed him that after everything, this smart, funny, talented, _beautiful_ goddess of a woman still wanted him. He was a lucky man, and he thanked his lucky stars every day for her.

“Very tempting.” She kissed him then, and just as it always had, the simple touch of her lips was enough to completely short-circuit every neuron in his impressive mind, turning him to a gibbering, mute fool, one slave to the temptations of the flesh – specifically Rose’s flesh.

He managed to keep enough presence of mind to back her up towards the railing, one hand trailing down her side and over her hip to her knee, tugging gently in encouragement. She obligingly wrapped it around his thigh, rocking against him as their mouths met, hands wandering. He was just starting to unbutton her blouse when she broke the kiss, panting.

“Wait.”

Freezing in his actions, he leaned back slightly to better meet her eye. “What’s wrong?” They’d made love several times since the change, and she hadn’t objected to the new body then. Never mind that she had started it this time.

“I came down here for a reason. A, a different reason from this, I mean.”

Her leg lowered to the floor, and he sighed, already knowing no matter what he said, this wasn’t going to lead to their bedroom.

“You’ve been thinking?”

Rose nodded, toying with collar of his dress shirt. “You’ve… changed. Again.”

His hearts and stomach dropped, nausea climbing his throat. He’d spoken (thought) too soon – she was done, she’d had enough, she was leaving him-

“Oi!”

Opening eyes he didn’t know he’d closed, he blinked down at her, not caring if his desperation showed on his face. “Rose-”

“I’m not _leaving_ ,” she sighed, smoothing her hands down his chest to wrap around his waist. “I’m sorry if I made you think that – though you should really know by now you’re stuck with me.”

“Sorry.”

Rising on tiptoe, Rose kissed him quickly. “All I was going to say was that I’ve barely changed over the last thousand years, and now that _you’ve_ changed again, I’m thinking about making some changes to _my_ appearance.”

“What sort of changes?” He wasn’t opposed on principle, would love her no matter what she looked like, but despite being a man capable of changing his face, he wasn’t good with change in others. “Like, surgery?”

“What? No! Just… a different hair style, new makeup, that sort of thing.”

“Oh! Um, okay.” Tilting his head in thought, he scrunched up his nose. “How can I help?”

Grinning, Rose slid her hands into his back pockets, and he had the nasty feeling it was supposed to soften a blow. “You can take me to Mum’s. She’s gonna do my hair.”

He couldn’t help the grimace that crossed his face at the thought of his mother-in-law. They’d carefully spaced out their time with her family, visiting once a year in their timeline, once a week in the Tylers’. It had been difficult on Rose in the beginning, taking so long between visits, but now that Jackie had seemingly only aged twenty years in a thousand for them, he knew she was grateful to still have them. There would come a day when they’d have to spread it out even further, possibly doubling back on themselves, but if it made Rose happy he’d find a way to keep Jackie in their lives. It had only been four months, though, since the last visit.

“What, now?”

“Yes, _now_.” Rose rolled her eyes. “She’s expecting us.”

Reluctantly stepping out of her arms, he set the coordinates for the Tyler house. “What’s the date?”

Rose rattled it off, waiting until they were in flight to wrap her arms around him from behind. “I love you,” she whispered, pressing a kiss between his shoulder blades.

“Yeah, yeah.” The landed with nary a jolt, and before she could skip off towards the doors, he turned and captured her mouth in a searing kiss. “Have a good time.”

“Mhmm.” She melted into him before suddenly jerking away. “Oh, no you don’t. Your assistance has been formally requested. Tony’s got some science project he’s working on for an engineering class, and Dad wants your help.”

“Rose!”

“It’ll be fun,” she promised, peppering kisses along his neck, and he silently fumed that such blatant manipulation could still work.

“I have a lot of work to do-”

“She’ll be fine.” Undoing his zip Rose slipped her hand inside, thumb unerringly finding the sensitive head of him and making his mind go silent.

“Unh.” Mouth slackening and eyes fluttering closed, he focused all his energy and attention on her touch. “I know… manipulating… not fair…”

She bit softly at his adam’s apple before sinking lower, and his already-hazy mind didn’t quite put together why until her mouth closed over him.

As persuasive arguments went, she made a damn good one.

* * *

He was just zipping up his pants again and helping Rose to her feet when the banging on the door started.

“You two better not be shagging in there!”

Sighing heavily, the Doctor slowly trudged towards the door after his wife, shooting the console a lingering look. “Are you sure it has to be now?”

“Shut up.” Rose didn’t even bother to glance at him, merely throwing open the doors and launching herself into Jackie’s arms. “Mum!”

“Rose!”

Biting his tongue hard, the Doctor eased his way past the embracing women towards Pete, extending his hand. “Good to see you.”

“You too.” The younger man’s wide eyes suggested Rose hadn’t mentioned his regeneration. “You’ve changed again.”

“Yes,” he said shortly, not keen on discussing his latest death. “Rose said something about a project?”

“Doctor!” Tony Tyler appeared in the doorway to the sitting room them, eyes lighting up. For just a moment, the Doctor’s hearts twinged. It didn’t seem that long ago (though it had been centuries) that Tony was just a small boy, enthralled with his sister and brother-in-law’s nomadic life, throwing himself at them as soon as they arrived. Now a proper young man stood in front of them, nineteen years old and a confidence about himself his sister had lacked at his age. “How are you?” They shook hands.

“Excellent. Now, what’s this project about?” They started to leave the room, only to turn at Rose’s voice.

“Oi! This is going to take us a few hours, then we’ll have dinner, yeah?”

Waving in acknowledgement, he focused on Tony’s excited chatter as he began detailing the project requirements and his plans.

* * *

For a man who had chosen to start life over again at 45 in an entirely new universe, Pete Tyler had more than done well for himself and his family. Vitex was not the raging success here that it had been in his original universe, but it was enough to give Jackie a house of her own and a comfortable lifestyle. Through a bit of cleverness of Rose’s part they’d purchased a home on the same street as Sarah Jane, giving the two women an easily accessible friend capable of understanding the mad life that came with knowing him – or so Rose had explained.

Where Sarah’s attic held Mr. Smith, the Tylers’ was a science lab, designed by the Doctor as a present for Tony years before. By the time they reached the space, he was fully caught up on Tony’s vision for the project. Pete had taken his son as far as he could, and as the Doctor studied the robot they were trying to build, he had to admit they’d gotten pretty far on their own.

“So, you’re trying to-”

“Build K-9 with current materials and programming,” Tony nodded, staring at the half-formed shell of the robot dog. “Not alien- for the project at least- and not as sentient, but… a prototype.”

“Very impressive, so far.” The Doctor circled the lab table the frame was sitting on, making mental notes. “I mean, there’s a few things you’re absolutely wrong about, but all told, well done.”

“Thanks.” His brother-in-law lit up with the praise, seemingly not bothered by his new look, and it made the Doctor settle a little more into his new skin to be accepted by his family.

“Well deserved. Right, take me through it all from the beginning.”

* * *

“All right, open.”

Rose’s eyes fluttered open, focusing first on the woman behind her in the mirror. Life on the TARDIS had long since taken on a timeless, dream-like quality to it, and it wasn’t until their annual trip to her mother’s for weekly dinner that it hit her all over again how _lucky_ she was. Through some kindness of the universe, she’d gotten to have it all. Eternity with the Doctor, running and laughing, making love and saving the world. And yet she still had her family, her mother, even though she was now over a thousand years old. Tony sometimes teased her, called her a ‘millenial’ as her generation had been dubbed after she’d met the Doctor, and she always had to bite her lip when she agreed; it was a fitting term, but not for the reasons he used it.

What her mother didn’t know, could never know, was how long it really was for them between visits. For the Tylers they were at Sunday dinner every week without fail, going no more than a week without seeing Rose. For Rose it was once a year, and when she and the Doctor had agreed to that schedule, it had been his idea to make that annual visit on her birthday. They’d been good, only missing the actual day once in a blue moon, and it always gave her a good thing to look forward to. She didn’t necessarily like aging, the first century feeling incredibly odd and depressing, but the knowledge that no matter how old she got, how many centuries were under her belt, she could still go home to her mum on her birthday, have a homemade cake as she had when she was a child… It helped her hold onto Rose Tyler, keeping those memories of who she had been alive. Bad Wolf helped, strengthened her mental capacity, but memories still faded.

So when her eyes opened, she spent the first minute studying her mother in the mirror, rememorizing the way she looked. Then her gaze shifted to her own reflection, and she gasped. “Oh, Mum!”

“D’you like it?”

Rose had taken to letting her hair grow, long flowing locks that she loved, but with the Doctor’s latest change she’d needed a drastic one of her own. Hair that had almost reached her bum now stopped at her chin, a long ponytail sitting on the counter in front of her to be donated to a wig-making charity. It was a fresh look, clean lines with layers that would bounce when she ran, but that wasn’t even the biggest change.

For the first time since they’d been reunited on the Crucible, she’d dyed her hair. It was no longer the chocolate brown she’d allowed to grow out, or the bottle blonde she’d had when they met.

It was red. A gorgeous ginger, natural-looking, modeled on Donna and Amy’s versus a fire engine red.

“Well?”

“I love it,” Rose breathed, leaning closer to the mirror and running her fingers through the strands. “It’s exactly what I wanted!”

“Brilliant,” Jackie beamed, starting to clean up her supplies. “It looks wonderful, it really does. Won’t himself be jealous, though? Wasn’t he always going on about being ginger?”

“Yeah, but not this time at least. He did ask me about maybe dyeing _my_ hair a few years ago, but I didn’t. I just thought it was time.” Studying her reflection, she considered her makeup. As she suspected, her usual routine didn’t look so hot with the different hair; that was tomorrow’s expedition, to find a new look that complemented the ginger. She was looking forward to it, needing a change.

“If you say so. I like it. Now come on, help me with dinner.”

One of her favorite things about these visits home was that they always included a meal cooked by Jackie and Rose. Much as she loved Pete and Tony, the time alone with her mother, just the two of them as it had been when she was growing up, always helped her refocus the sometimes-hazy question in her mind of _who is Rose Tyler_?

* * *

“Right, I think that’s about everything done,” her mother stepped back from the set table. “I’ll put out the last dishes – can you go get the boys?”

“Sure,” Rose grinned, pressing a kiss to Jackie’s cheek before darting up the stairs. “Girl incoming,” she teased, rapping on the attic door before pushing it open to lean in the doorway.

“Hi sweetheart, come to help?” her husband replied, distracted, a heavy mask covering his face as he soldered something on what looked to be a replica of K-9’s frame. Her father and brother turned to her, both men’s eyes going wide at her new look.

Pressing her finger to her lips, she grinned. “No, dinner’s ready. Time to take a break and come eat.”

“In a minute.”

“No, now.” Crossing her arms, she moved towards him. “Come on, the food’s hot. Whatever you’re doing can wait.”

“But Rose-”

“Come on Doctor, take a break,” Tony interrupted. “You’ve earned it.”

Rose frowned, letting her arms fall as she glanced between the three men. “Doctor, I hope you’ve been letting Tony do the lion’s share of the work and didn’t just take over.”

“I didn’t.”

She shot a raised eyebrow at the other two, who nodded in agreement. “He’s doing just the tricky bits of the soldering,” Pete promised. “Tony’s done most of it – with a fair bit of guidance. But Rose is right, Doctor, let’s eat.”

“I’m hungry,” Tony added.

“You’re eighteen, you’re always hungry,” his father rolled his eyes. “Seriously, Doc, let’s go.”

“Fine. I’m finished right now anyway.” Straightening up and turning off the tools, he removed his mask as he turned to Rose.

Their eyes met and he smiled. She smiled back, and then he noticed her hair. His eyes widened, jaw dropping, and when Pete said, “Tony, let’s give them a minute” and hustled her brother out of the room, he didn’t even blink.

“What?” he finally managed, trembling fingers coming up to tug at a lock of hair near her face. “I-”

“What do you think?” Rose asked anxiously, suddenly wondering if she should have prepared him. Probably. He was very funny about change sometimes, holding others to unreasonable standards considering how often he changed his face.

“You look…” A look of wonder dawned on his face, lips curling up into a smile as his shoulders unclenched. “Beautiful. You look wonderful, Rose, really.”

“You like it?” She patted her head self-consciously. “It’s not too much?”

Stepping closer, the Doctor kissed her sweetly, one hand settling on her hip. “Perfect.”

* * *

Once dinner was finished they retired to the sitting room, trading stories and jokes. It was Rose’s favorite time, borderline sacrosanct to her, which was why she ignored her husband’s subtler cues, not taking her eyes or attention off her mother until he stood abruptly.

“Rose? A word?”

Still seated on the couch next to Jackie, she merely looked up at him with a raised eyebrow. “Can’t it wait?”

“Ah, no.”

“Are you sure?” Rose gave him a tight smile, trying to signal wordlessly with her eyes, but he merely shook his head and extended his hand towards her.

“I’m sure. It’s about your hair.”

He was doing an excellent job of tamping down his end of the bond, sealing it off so she couldn’t sense his emotions, but he’d forgotten one thing – she _knew_ him. After a thousand years of marriage she knew the meaning behind every expression, regardless of how old the face was. This was precious time with her family; they could shag later.

“It’s all right,” Jackie cut in, and Rose turned to her mother in surprise. “We should clean up from dinner and get dessert ready. Why don’t you meet us in the kitchen in, oh, fifteen minutes?”

“Lovely, thanks.” The Doctor didn’t wait for Rose’s agreement, merely hauled her to her feet and guided her out of the room. “Come on, come on, come on.”

Rolling her eyes and hoping her mother hadn’t realized what he wanted to ‘talk’ about, she pulled him into the guest room that would be hers if she ever spent the night. “What?”

The moment the door closed behind them she found herself pressed against it, front to the door as her husband crowded her against it. “Doctor!”

“Shhh,” he whispered, brushing her hair away from her neck so he could brush his lips over the area. “We’ve only got fifteen minutes.”

“We are not having sex in here,” she scolded, even as he bunched her skirt up around her waist and groped her bum. “Absolutely not.”

“Rose, please.” He didn’t even bother trying to give her reasons, apparently considering the hardness he rocked against her convincing enough. “You look so gorgeous. Love, _please_.”

He stilled behind her, and Rose considered her situation. They _had_ been excused, and she _did_ want him… “Okay.”

The Doctor damn near _giggled_ into her neck, left hand coming up to lean on the door beside her head as the other moved her thong out of the way, fingers sliding against the wetness already gathering. “Protest all you want, but your body gives you away,” he said smugly, two digits already easing inside her.

“Don’t be a prick,” she warned, widening her stance and bracing herself against the door. Behind her, the quiet _snick_ of his zip sounded louder in the otherwise silent room. “And hurry up.”

“Yes dear.”

The fingers were replaced by the head of his cock, and she swore softly as he pushed his way inside. It took a few slow thrusts but he was soon seated inside her, and Rose adjusted her stance to accommodate him, arching her back.

“Rose,” he grunted, and she hummed in reply.

“Just be quiet.”

He pulled almost all the way out, right arm wrapping around her waist to hold her steady as he began to thrust. Her breasts brushed against the door with every push of his hips against hers, causing them to pebble as pleasure hummed through her.

Their bond was wide open now, minds pressed together even tighter than their bodies, his pleasure and need bleeding through to her, combining with hers and pushing them both higher in a positive feedback loop until they were both mad with desire. Rose rocked her hips back against him in counterpoint to his movements, making him let out little grunts at every push forward. His warm breath puffing against her ear just ratcheted up her own desire, and she had to press her mouth to her arm to muffle her keening cries.

Finally, _finally_ , his hand around her waist shifted lower, fingertip finding her clit and drawing rough circles over it to help her along.

 _So close,_ she panted across the bond, knowing he felt the same by the now-jerky rolling of his hips as he sought his own release.

“Rose?”

Her mother’s voice echoed from down the hall, making the Doctor lose his rhythm, and it cleared her head enough to call back, “Coming!”

The Doctor snorted behind her at the pun, working her clit harder as he adjusted his stance. “Rose, c’mon.”

“Trying,” she whimpered back, closing her eyes and concentrating on the sensations electrifying her body. Her clit ached with need, body clenching tightly around his shaft, but she needed more, something else to send her over the top. “Help.”

His lips closed over her earlobe, sucking tightly, and she broke with a muffled moan, sagging in relief. He came with her, groaning in her ear, and they sank to the ground still joined.

“Shit,” she rasped, shivering with the aftershocks. “That was brilliant.”

“I couldn’t wait,” he murmured in her ear, still rutting his hips slowly against her. “I couldn’t take it anymore. The new hair… You’re so beautiful, Rose. I had to have you. And you were still so aroused yourself, the pheromones coming off you…”

Rose whimpered, her still-strong desire for him warring with her daughterly obligations. “Stop it,” she said half-heartedly, clenching around him. “Two more hours and we’ll be home. You can bend me over the console until we pass out.”

The Doctor reluctantly pulled away, disappearing into the en suite for a moment before returning with a wet flannel and cleaning her up. “Fine.”

“It _is_ my birthday,” she reminded him with a cheeky grin, snatching her thong off the floor and deliberately flashing him. “C’mon, it’ll be fun.”

He followed her down the hall and into the sitting room, muttering just before they entered, “Until we pass out?”

“If you can last that long.” Winking, she tucked the scrap of thong into his pocket. “Behave.”

* * *

“I wish you would stay,” Jackie lamented, clutching Rose tightly. “Don’t you miss us?”

“Of course I do.” Rose hid her face in her mother’s shoulder. “Mum, _of course_ I do! But this is just how it is.” As she did every year, she briefly considered confessing all before dismissing it. It would do little to comfort Jackie, and would instead make her cling even more.

“Jacks.” Pete carefully pried the women apart, hugging his daughter himself. “Happy birthday,” he whispered, and Rose glanced up startled to see him wink.

“Thanks.”

“Bye Rosie, bye Doc.” A handshake for the Doctor and a quick hug for Rose was all they got before Tony stepped back, shoving his hands in his pockets in a move so reminiscent of her second Doctor that Rose’s hearts twinged. That one, the one in pinstripes, had been consistent through Tony’s formative years and the effect that long-gone version had on her brother was still evident in his mannerisms and speech patterns.

“Love you, kid,” she said, pulling him into another hug, smiling when he didn’t resist. “Be good.”

“Bring me something good next time, yeah?”

“All right.”

One last round of hugs and they were back in their ship, Rose already counting down the months and days until they returned even as they put her into the Vortex.

“I’m sorry we couldn’t stay longer,” the Doctor said quietly, watching her stare blindly at the monitor.

Rose shrugged, crossing her arms, before forcing a flirty smile to her face. “Me too. Forget about it though.”

“You sure?”

Turning her back to the console, she draped herself against it in as provocative way as she could manage. “I’m sure you can find a way to make it up to me.” A flick of her skirt hem had her lower half exposed, and his suddenly-hooded eyes turned her grin genuine.

“I’m very smart, I can probably think of something,” he bragged, prowling towards her.

Rose laughed, crooking her finger at him. “It’s my birthday. Come ravish me, husband.”

His responding growl and ardor proved he was _very_ okay with her new ginger locks.

Multiple times.


End file.
